Türkiye meets 2030 solar energy target 6 years early: Report

With 14.6 gigawatts (GWs) of storage-integrated solar capacity pre-licensed, Türkiye has surpassed its 2030 National Energy Plan target of just 2 GWs, London-based energy think tank Ember reported on Tuesday.

Türkiye’s solar power capacity reached over 19 GW in just two and a half years, exceeding its 2025 target by August 2024 and supplying 6% of the country’s total electricity, the report said.

“Over the past two and a half years, electricity generation from wind and solar has helped avoid $15 billion in gas imports,” the report stated, emphasizing that this achievement came 1.5 years ahead of schedule. “In this period, solar alone supplied 6% of the country’s total electricity, avoiding $5.4 billion in gas imports,” it added.

The publication highlighted that solar’s remarkable growth has been primarily fueled by unlicensed self-consumption projects driven by households and businesses.

Planned investments in diverse solar projects, including rooftop, storage-integrated, floating, and hybrid systems—known as solar-as-a-secondary-source—are expected to maintain this growth, the report noted. The expansion aligns with Türkiye’s goal to increase its combined wind and solar energy capacity from 30 gigawatts to 120 gigawatts by 2035.

Bahadir Sercan Gumus, Türkiye energy analyst at Ember, said the ongoing momentum in solar energy capacity growth is a strong indicator of the transition the country can achieve in its energy grid with the right policies.

“By doubling its solar energy capacity in just two and a half years and surpassing its 2025 target ahead of schedule, Türkiye has demonstrated its potential to set more ambitious goals,” Gumus said.

“Raising renewable energy targets and maintaining the momentum offers Türkiye the opportunity to reduce its dependence on energy imports, strengthen energy security, and assert its commitment more prominently on the international stage,” he added.

Türkiye reaches 2030 solar energy target, yet wind energy growth slows

Türkiye’s Renewable Energy Resource Zone (YEKA) initiative continues to expand capacity, with 5.9 GW already allocated and a further 2-GW tender planned for solar and wind in 2025. Floating solar installations on water reservoirs, with an estimated potential of 53 gigawatts, are also under consideration to further optimize land and water use.

Despite significant progress in solar, wind energy growth has slowed, with only 770 megawatts (MWs) added last year, bringing total wind capacity to 12.5 GWs, falling short of the strategic plan target.

However, the Long-Term Climate Change Strategy (LTS), introduced at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, sets ambitious 2035 targets of 77 GW for solar and 43 GW for wind, providing a clear roadmap for scaling up renewables, according to the think tank.

Updating Türkiye’s 2025 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to incorporate these targets would align renewable energy growth with both electricity demand and global climate goals.